Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Wellesley staff given insulin instead of H1N1 shot

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- A medical mix-up made some teachers in Wellesley sick.

Several staff members at the Schofield School thought they were being given the H1N1 vaccine on Friday. Instead, they were given a shot of insulin.

Many people were shocked by the news.

“When I heard this, I was kind of taken aback,” said Jackie Norton, a parent.

In a letter to the school's community, Bella Wong, the Superintendent of Wellesley Schools, said: "It is clear a very serious error did occur, and we will be fully investigating this event…Once the error was discovered, an immediate attempt was made to reach all staff that had received any shots at school on Friday.”

Diabetics take insulin to regulate their blood sugar.

“They’re trying to handle all these different shots and I can see…there’s enough of them going around, something’s bound to happen,” said Mark Webb, who works in Wellesley.

The insulin came from the supply on-hand at the school for diabetic students. No students were impacted. It is still unclear how many staff members were affected.

Those who received the insulin shots were treated at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and all are now fine.

The person who administered the shots is now on paid leave.

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